The Gift That Matters
by RenMan77
Summary: It's Christmas and Yumi has something on her mind. While Sachiko has a surprise or two for her...
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N:]** For those of you who celebrate this season: Merry Christmas! For those of you who don't: Happy Holidays! For the Grinches: Enjoy the bonus day off anyway.

Standard disclaimer applies. I own nothing except the story concept. Everything else belongs to whomever actually owns or licenses anything connected to MSGM and to Oyuki Konno. Thank you for letting us continue to play in the world you created.

Now, bring on the story!

 **The Gift That Matters...**

 **Chapter 1**

Sachiko Ogasawara stared at the legal document in front of her. She caressed it almost lovingly. It was the reward she had been diligently chasing for the better part of a year. And it was a long year in coming.

It was the final and most important part of the gift that she was going to give to Yumi that evening after the annual Yamayurikai Christmas party. It represented too many lost hours and long nights away from Yumi and their current home. She was all too aware of the strain it had put on their relationship. But she had managed to accomplish what she needed to do without Yumi's knowledge and just in time for Christmas.

Now everything was finally in place. It was time to relax and enjoy the season with Yumi. If she still wanted to stay with her...

 **-0-0-**

Earlier that same day...

Yumi Fukuzawa stood in front of Maria-sama quietly saying her morning prayers. In addition to her usual wishes for her family, her thoughts were heavily focused of her girlfriend of one year and their relationship. In the last three months, the had not seen each other very much due to her and Sachiko's schedules. Sachiko had also been putting in extra hours at her family's company working for her father on some project of great importance. Yumi hoped it would be over soon. Dates with Sachiko were a rarity and most of their recent communication had been through text messages and notes left in lockers.

Yumi was concerned that they were drifting apart. It was her biggest fear. Losing Sachiko. Not to another person, but simply because their lives had diverged. She was trying her best to be strong. But there were some days that were harder than others.

Yumi was painfully aware that her own graduation from Lillian was a mere three months away. 'If it is this difficult now,' she thought. 'How much more so after graduation and when I begin classes at Lillian University?'

Looking up at her schools matriarch, Yumi said. "Please give me guidance Maria-sama." She fought back tears as she did. Yumi wiped her face quickly before she turned to start her day. Forcing a smile onto her face, she began walking to class. 'It wouldn't be proper for Rosa Chinensis to be seen crying...' she thought to herself.

 **-0-0-**

The Christmas party had gone well. Everyone of the most recent and current Roses had made it to the party. The most memorable part for Yumi had been Touko's official introduction of her own petite-soeur Koyuko Shibuya.

As they were leaving the school grounds at the end of their evening, the group stopped to offer prayers to Maria-sama on the eve of her son's birth. Even the ever ambivalent Sato Sei was inclined to offer a short prayer this time.

After Yumi finished her prayers, she looked up to Maria-sama in quiet contemplation of the last few months. Her melancholic mood now pervasive enough to pick up on it as they each finished their prayers and looked to Yumi. Yumi continued to stare at Maria-sama with her head cocked to the side. Her hands clasped in front of her. Her posture indicated that she was obviously deep in thought.

She had been contemplating the distance that had occurred between her and Sachiko. However, as she thought on the matter, she had also begun to apply it to the rest of her friends as well. Shimako, Yoshino, and her would all be graduating in three months. Given their different paths, this would all but guarantee to separate all of them even further.

'Great.' she thought to herself. 'Even more of the important people I love and care for going separate ways.' The idea was weighing heavily on her mind as she continued to stand in front of Maria-sama. That thought depressed her even more, frustratingly so.

Her Yamayurikai friends knew something was bothering Yumi as they patiently waited for her. This was most obvious to Sachiko. She quietly signaled to their friends to let Yumi be. While was contemplative, Sachiko knew she would speak her mind soon enough. Her Soeur did not disappoint her.

Yumi reached a decision within herself. She would not allow graduation or any other life event to separate her and her friends any farther. She could not bring herself to be as ambivalent about the matter as Sei, nor could she be as meddlesome as Youko. She had to follow her own path between the two extremes. She wanted her friends to know they mattered and that she would always be there for them. She nodded to herself in agreement before she suddenly turned and looked to her friends.

She hesitated for a few moments trying to find the right words. She tried to start several times before succeeding.

"It seems the Christmas season is having an effect on me." She began. "It is the time of year when we all gather together again to regale each other with our life adventures." She smiled briefly before letting her face fall into one of sadness. "While it is eagerly anticipated and a pleasant experience for me, it isn't enough."

"Why do we only gather once a year?" She asked as she looked at them all. "As close as we are and have been, why are we not in each other's life more often?" Looking to Yoshino and Shimako she said. "I cannot remember the last time any of us spent time at each others homes." She looked to the ground briefly. "Soon, the three of us will be stepping out those gates for the last time as Lillian Gakuen students and move on towards our future lives." Yumi paused as tears began to fall from her face. "I don't want us to become more estranged. I don't want us to become a familiar face relegated to yearly visits, the rare text message or an old photo in an album." She looked directly at Sachiko. "I don't want any of us to be left behind!" Yumi began to sob as she finished. "We deserve better than that from each other." She then went silent.

The rest of the group looked to each other as Yumi's words sunk in. True, their times together had gotten fewer and farther in between. But none of them had thought that they had drifted any farther apart. Their friend however, had not seen it that way.

Sachiko was deep in thought. She had felt guilty enough already about the past few months. She knew their time apart had been hard on Yumi. However, she hadn't considered just how hard it had been on Yumi's psyche. Given her habit of thinking detrimental thoughts, Sachiko felt that she should have anticipated this.

As the silence dragged on, it began to eat at Sei's nerves. Emotional out bursts like Yumi's had never been Sei's forte. As such, she felt now would be a good time to break the tension. "Awww, does Yumi-chan miss..." she began before being abruptly interrupted.

"Don't Sei!" Yumi said angrily. "Don't you dare try to avoid this with some flippant remark. Not all of us are cursed with such a carefree attitude like yours. Some of us need something more."

Sei was about to reply when she felt Youko's hand on her arm. Sei looked at her as Youko silently shook her head 'no'. As she did, Sachiko moved closer to Yumi as she continued to speak.

"Three years ago in this spot, I was desperately asking Maria-sama to return me to my quiet, uneventful days. Tonight, I find myself just as desperately wanting my troublesome days here to continue." Yumi paused giving a sigh. "In that spirit, I promise you, all of you, here in front of Maria-sama, that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will _always_ be available to you." She looked at them all. " _Always_." She repeated. "I don't care what time of day it is, or what the reason is. If you want me; text, call, e-mail, or just show up at my door. Whatever you need to do, do it. I _will_ be there for you!" She paused again. "I want us all to make that promise to each other." Yumi fell silent again.

"Yumi." Sachiko began. "Did you think you are going to lose touch with any of us? That we would all simply walk away from you without so much as a second thought?" Sachiko stepped closer to her. "Did you think _I_ would do such a thing to you?"

Yumi said nothing, squeezing her eyes tightly shut to prevent the tears that were ready to spill out. She took a deep breath before responding. "You have been so busy and distant lately. I have been wondering if you had become bored with me. That maybe you had changed your mind and decided to follow your family's wishes after all." She paused. "I thought you didn't want a future with me anymore."

Silence reigned again for several seconds. "I am going to follow my family's wishes Yumi. There is no way..." Sachiko began.

"No!" Yumi shrieked as she bent over and placed her hands on her knees to keep from collapsing.

Sachiko let her cry for a few moments as she struggled to keep her own emotions in check. "Yumi" she finally said. "Stand up and stop interrupting." Yumi immediately stood straight, but it took great will power to finally raise her head and look at Sachiko.

Sachiko took another step forward and cupped Yumi's cheek with her hand as she always did. Yumi resisted the urge to lean into it. "As I was saying," Sachiko continued in the most loving voice she could muster. "I am going to follow my family's wishes. And there is no way they would ever allow me to do such a thing to you. I truly doubt I _could_ do such a thing to you."

Yumi took a deep breath as she took in Sachiko's words. Running them through her mind a second time. Even though Sachiko's words erased her two most troublesome doubts, she felt stupid. Her self-esteem and those doubts had run rampant in her mind and had played tricks on her again.

"The reason I have been so busy these last few months was because I was preparing for Christmas and getting our presents together."

"Presents?" Yumi asked as she suddenly perked up, trying to follow Sachiko's words.

"Yes." Sachiko replied. "Yours...and ours." She reached into her bag. "I was going to save this for tomorrow morning, but I guess now will have to do." She told Yumi as she handed her a set of keys.

Yumi looked at them for a full second before asking "What are these to?" Sachiko smiled as she replied. "To your new condominium. Well, actually _our_ new condominium in the Shibuya District."

"Eh?!" Yumi said in surprise. "A-a condo? For us?" She looked at the keys again as she thought about what it meant. 'A place for us. Just us. A place for her and I alone. But...' She looked up at Sachiko. "Anou... Why the Shibuya District? It is so far from here."

Sachiko laughed. "It is only a few kilometers away. And as for the why, that tidbit of information will have to wait until tomorrow morning."

Yumi pouted at her girlfriend with her best puppy dog eyes. Sachiko wasn't giving in though.

"Let's say we have everyone meet here tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. I'll have the limo drive us all over to the condo. Then you will get your other gifts. Okay?"

Yumi and the others nodded their heads in affirmation. With that everyone said their good byes and went their ways home.

 **-0-0-**

 **[A/N:]** Spoiler alert: In case some of you did not pick-up on it. The name of Touko's petite-soeur is an amalgam of two names and a location. Specifically, Shibuya (the city) and the first names of Koyuki and Hiroko. Now, who among you can guess the connection between these three? I'll wait...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Another chapter in less than a day. It's amazing what happens when I actually get a break and can write without interruption. Then again, a rambunctious two year old child is a very attention intensive creature. ^_^

And now, back to our story...

 **The Gift That Matters**

 **Chapter 2**

Being up bright and early had never really been Sachiko's forte. However, today was different. Primarily because it was Christmas Day, and because today was the day Yumi would get the gift of a lifetime from Sachiko. At least that was what Sachiko was hoping for.

The atmosphere inside the limo was festive as everyone was excited to see the new place. Everyone was animatedly talking about the gifts they had received from each other and "Santa Claus". Yumi was bouncing up and down in her seat as she anxiously waited to see her gift.

The car came to a stop in front of a building on Ebisu in the Shibuya District. The building itself was just an 8 minute walk from the Ebisu Rail Station and the Yamanote and Metro Lines. Everyone got out of the limo and took in the front of the building.

"Wow, it looks so nice from here." Yumi noted as she looked up at stone and glass front.

They all ventured inside as Sachiko used a pass card to enter the building's foyer. She then handed the card to Yumi, saying: "You might need that from now on." Before she winked and headed for the elevator. Yumi's blush went unnoticed by Sachiko. 'How does she do that?' Yumi wondered as she followed her girlfriend. 'Even the simplest gesture from her gets me all flustered.'

They took the elevator to the 8th floor before exiting. Once in front of the door, Sachiko stopped and looked at Yumi. Yumi just looked back at her for a few seconds before Sachiko asked her. "Well, Yumi. Are you going to open your present or not?" Yumi stood there momentarily before she suddenly remembered that she had the keys. Blushing in embarrassment, she pulled them out and opened the door.

The group stepped into the entryway that sported a small anteroom off to the right side. It was large enough to double as a coat closet and a storage area. Straight ahead of them, they saw a study with its own entrance and balcony through a sliding glass door. The doorway to the living room was to the left. After the girls removed their shoes, everyone followed Yumi into the living room. The condo itself had wooden floors in every room. Yumi guessed it was about 130 square meters or so. There was a small galley kitchen at one end and a balcony outside a sliding glass door at the other. The room also had a door leading to a small bedroom to one side that also shared the main balcony. Next to that room was a good sized combined bath, wash basin and toilet area.

To Yumi's delight, the living room had a spiral staircase leading up to the second level loft. Once the group ascended the staircase, they found that the entire floor had a half-wall that was open to the floor below and could be used as a bedroom and second living area. The loft also had a small toilet room and separate wash basin. Sei looked around and then made a suggestive comment as to what Yumi and Sachiko would be doing most of the time in that room. The comment got her a light smack and an annoyed look from Youko.

Returning to the main floor, Yumi opened the sliding glass door and stepped out on to the balcony. Taking in the view from her new home over the Prefecture of Shibuya, she sighed in contentment.

"Well Yumi," Sachiko asked from behind her. "What do you think of your gift?" The smile that Yumi gave to Sachiko almost took her breath away.

"I love it Sachiko!" She told her. "Thank you." Yumi then gave Sachiko a tight hug that did take her breath away.

"I am happy to hear that." Sachiko told her before she turned and led Yumi back inside the condo. "But you still have several more gifts to receive."

"Really? Where are they?!" Yumi asked her excitedly.

Sachiko grinned at her as she reached the kitchen and pulled an item out of her bag. "First of all, this present should give you an idea as to why I chose Shibuya for our home." She then handed Yumi a large envelope.

Yumi gave Sachiko a curious look before opening the envelope and extracting its contents. She began reading the titles of the papers out loud to everyone. "Registration and Certification of Ownership – Family Residence: Shibuya District," This document basically told the prefecture that they jointly owned the condo. "Affidavits of Co-guardianship." This document allowed Sachiko and her to make decisions for each other in an emergency. A sensible idea in Yumi's mind as they would soon be living together.

The last document that she read was the one that grabbed Yumi's undivided attention. "Shibuya District Certification of Co-habitation: Same sex Couple..." She read that title a second time to make sure she understood what it said. Looking further down she noted that both her and Sachiko's names had been typed in. Sachiko's hanko and signature had already been added next to her name. The only empty spaces were where Yumi's hanko and signature should be. She read the document a third time trying to believe what her eyes were showing her.

Tears threatened to spill from Yumi's eyes. She already knew the answer to the question she had in her head, but she wanted to hear Sachiko say it. She took a deep breath before asking quietly. "What... what does this all mean Ogasawara Sachiko?" As Yumi looked up, she discovered that Sachiko was kneeling in front of her. In her hand was a black velvet ring box. The gold ring inside it was adorned with a single blue diamond. Yumi gasped and clutched the papers to her chest.

"What it means Fukuzawa Yumi," Sachiko began. "Is that I love you and you alone. It also means that I want to share the rest of my life with you. That I want to build a future that centers around the two of us. While it is not a real marriage in name, it is the closest thing to it that I can give you under the current laws. You are the most important part of my life. So, Yumi, I ask you this. Would you please consider taking my hand in marriage?"

Yumi just stared at Sachiko, her face clearly showing everyone present that she had not expected this from her. Pointing to herself Yumi asked. "You really want to marry me?"

Sachiko smiled. "Yes, with all my heart."

Yumi did not hesitate a moment longer. "I will!" She said excitedly. "Um, I mean I do. I mean yes, yes I will marry you Sachiko!"

Sachiko took the ring out of its case and carefully slid it onto Yumi's left hand. "Thank you love." She told Yumi as they hugged each other. They then shared a brief kiss as their friends began clapping and congratulating them.

A few minutes later, Yumi asked Sachiko, "So, does this mean we are married now?"

Sachiko chuckled in response. "Well, I was hoping you might want a ceremony..."

Yumi began bouncing up and down in place. "Oh, yes, yes I do!"

"Well then, maybe you should sign those papers so we can file them with the prefecture. Then we can start planning a wedding. Unless you intend to run off with someone else?" Sachiko asked her.

"Not a chance!" Yumi replied as she pulled out a pen and her hanko from her purse. She set the papers down on the kitchen counter and quickly filled in her information. Finishing the document, Youko came over and took the papers, telling her, "I will file these first thing tomorrow morning. You two will need to be there to certify it in front of the clerks office. So don't be late!"

Yumi then hugged Sachiko again. Saying, "I am so excited, thank you Sachiko."

"I wasn't sure you would accept." Sachiko told her. "After I practically deserted you these last three months."

Yumi looked up at her and thought for a few moments. "As long as it is a gift from you, I will love it." Yumi replied with a smile. "I would wait for it as long as it took. You are all that matters to me."

Sachiko blushed before saying, "There you go again, using my own words against me." Yumi giggled her delight in response.

The group finished up their tour of the condo and made their way back downstairs. Once outside, they waited for Sachiko's limo to return. As they wee waiting, Sachiko asked Yumi, "Are you ready for your third gift?" Yumi looked up at her confused. "Third gift?" She asked. "Anou, where is it?"

Sachiko shook her head in amusement as a smile crossed her face. "Do you still have your keys?" She asked. Yumi pulled them out of her jacket pocket. "Hai, they are right here. Why?"

"See the key fob on the ring? Push the button in the center of it." She instructed Yumi. Yumi did as she was instructed. A white sedan with tinted windows in front of them chirped and flashed its lights in response. Yumi looked confused as she pushed the button again. Getting the same response she looked over to Sachiko sheepishly. "Did you really get me a car too?" She asked her fiancé.

Before Sachiko could answer, Yoshino spoke up excitedly. "She didn't just get you a car Yumi, she bought you a BMW!" Yumi turned her head to look at the car's logo. Sure enough, there in the center of the hood stood the the letters of the car company. "Eeeeeehhhhhhh!" Yumi screeched in disbelief. "Sachiko, a BMW?! Really?!"

All of her friends began laughing at her response as Sachiko nodded yes before saying. "I wanted to get the best vehicle with the most protection for my most precious person."

"But it's so expensive..." Yumi told her.

"No, not really." Sachiko answered. "There is no cost that I wouldn't pay for you or your safety Yumi. You are important to me." Yumi blushed at her words before leaning into Sachiko and kissing her cheek. "Thank you again for all your wonderful gifts. But your heart was only only one I really wished for." Sachiko blushed as she replied. "And you have it." before she kissed Yumi back.

As the limo pulled up to take their all friends back to the Ogasawara mansion for some Christmas Day treats, Yoshino suddenly cried out "I call shotgun!" as she hurriedly jumped into the left front passenger seat of Yumi's new car. Yumi laughed briefly before she looked at Sachiko in fear. "It's okay," Sachiko told her with a smile. "This time. But I get front seat privileges from now on!" Yumi laughed at her response until Sachiko leaned over and whispered into her ear. "But I claim sole and exclusive privileges to you and the back seat."

Yumi blushed furiously as she turned and hurriedly went to her new car and got into the drivers seat. Sachiko giggled as she turned and went with the rest of the Yamayurikai went into the limo. As Yumi started the car to return to the mansion, Yoshino startled her with an overly excited cry of "Bonsai!" Yumi shook her head in amusement. "You will be sorely disappointed Yoshino, I do not drive like Sei-sama does." They both shared a laugh as Yumi pulled out into traffic and drove off.

 **-FIN-**

 **-0-0-**

 **A/N:** There it is. My Christmas gift to you all. Short and to the point for our favorite group of girls. For those of you who might be wondering; the connection between Shibuya and the first names Koyuki and Hiroko. They are the names of the first couple to be married under the new co-habitation law that Shibuya passed a year or so ago. This is a tribute to them and the hopes that one day Sachiko, Yumi, and all the rest of the girls like them, real or imagined, can get married in Japan for real. Stay strong!

Also, for those of you who may be curious, the apartment building I describe in this chapter actually does exist at the location described. I have no specific reason for choosing the building beyond the fact that I found it aesthetically pleasing to look at and I loved the name, as I feel it applies to my two favorite characters simply because they are both princesses to me. The building is named Tiara Ebisu. -_^


End file.
